Closure for a hero
by AidennPluto
Summary: spoiler for shippuden 425:: Because this story has already played out once before, and he couldn't stop it from happening a second time. Tribute to an amazing character. Please someone tell me he's not really dead.


Whenever he thought about his former teammates, he saw his former students.

Sometimes, Sasuke was Obito, flashing around blood-red eyes, the pride of the clan to which they both belonged. The same blood flowed through their veins, the same determination. And when they fought it was with passion; the passion that said "I can be better, I will be better and I'll do it for you". Except Obito fought for his teammates and Sasuke fought for his brother. Obito fought for life and Sasuke for death.

Sometimes Kakashi wonders if Sasuke hadn't seen horrors no child should ever see, if he had been brought up as he should have, he wonders if Sasuke may have ever been more like Obito in personality. Bright and cheerful.

He doubts it.

Sometimes, it's Naruto who reminds him of Obito. And that's unavoidable, when the same declarations of greatness spew out of their mouths. The same loud challenges and determination to prove they're worth something.

Sometimes Kakashi wonders if Naruto hadn't seen no horrors no child should ever see, if he had had a family and if he hadn't had to endure being demeaned by the villagers for something that wasn't his fault, he wonders if Naruto would have been less like Obito. With nothing to prove, would he have been more quiet? Less determined?

He doubts it.

Sometimes, Sakura reminds him of Rin. Kind Rin with healer's hands and a crush on the wrong person. He watches Sakura think about Sasuke and sees Rin, thinking about him. And he sees how much pain Sakura is in and he feels guilty and wishes he'd shown Rin the respect she deserved. And at times like these, he wants to bash Sasuke's head in for not seeing what a gift he'd had.

And then, unavoidably, Sasuke reminds him of himself. Cold and superior, not being able to see what is right in front of him. He thinks revenge will bring him peace, but he doesn't see that peace already welcomed him through a sun bright smile and kind green eyes.

And as Kakashi lays dying, he thinks about his precious people. He sees the similarities between his former teammates and his former students and they are so obvious it's painful; painful because he knows how one story ended and it breaks his heart that he can do nothing to keep the other story from ending the same way.

Sasuke - Sasuke with his sharingan and revenge, who has failed to grasp salvation and who will die alone, broken inside. Kakashi knows that one day, he will see the mistake he made and it will be too late, too late. Just as it was too late for him to save Obito as he lay crushed under the boulder. And Kakashi feels his spirit burn with guilt for not saving a soul heading down the same path as him.

Sakura, Sakura with her kind heart and misplaced love. Can she not see the very person who could make her happy never left her, and is still struggling to bring Sasuke back? Sakura, whose healing hands work wonders, but can do nothing for torn hearts. She blames herself, Kakashi knows, and yet he failed to makes her _see. _It's not her fault they fell apart. It's his own.

And Naruto - Naruto with his blinding smile and deafening yell. Naruto with his secret and his mindless determination. Naruto who is still fighting for him, still convinced he will bring him back. And Kakashi could never bring himself to tell him to let Sasuke go. Because while his mind tells him that it's a lost cause, his heart tells him _shut up. _Hope is what Naruto creates in the hearts of everyone, and sometimes it just feels good to believe blindly that a miracle might happen. But now as he lies dying he knows it won't happen, and desperation claws at him as the thinks that he gave Naruto false hope by not stopping him.

He's seen things with the eye Obito gave him. He's seen so many things. But as that eye closes for the final time, he thinks that it wasn't worth it. He meant to show Obito wonderful things through that eye, but all he's seen is death.

"I'm sorry, Obito. So sorry I couldn't show you beautiful things. Things like love and friendship that survive the toughest trials. I've failed my students. So I've failed you."

"Forgive me, Rin. I could not fix your broken heart."

"Sensei. You would be proud of your son. But not of me, for I didn't help him when I could have."

He thinks he's failed everyone in the worst possible way.

But then Naruto grins at him through Obito's face, and Sakura sticks her tongue out at him through Rin's. And Sasuke - Sasuke runs toward them with Kakashi's feet, bruised and bloodied, but still alive. And after all these years, he rejoins them.

Kakashi slips into darkness.

Because I was so worried about Sasuke, I never thought another person I care about might die. Kakashi was a tortured soul if I've ever seen one, and I wanted a little closure for him.

The last part was my little attempt at being optimistic. _But then Naruto grins at him through Obito's face, and Sakura sticks her toungue out at him throught Rin's. And Sasuke, Sasuke runs toward them with Kakashi's feet, bruised and bloodied, but still alive. And after all these years, he rejoins them. _As Kakashi is dying, he is joining Obito and Rin. And Sasuke too is rejoining Naruto and Sakura.

Wishful thinking. Silly silly.


End file.
